Thinking about marketing your personal training business can feel overwhelming. With so many different strategies to consider, remember that you’re looking for the methods that will best suit your unique brand and help you achieve your goals.
You can check out your personal trainer marketing fundamentals in Personal Trainer Marketing 101, but for the purposes of this particular guide, we’ll be looking at the easiest and most cost-effective ways to market your fitness business.
Work out your marketing goals
What are your marketing objectives? If you don’t know the answer to this question, you need to do some work.
You can’t get anywhere without a clear idea of where you want to go. What do you want to achieve? Are you aiming to increase your brand awareness, boost new client acquisition, or retain more of your existing customers?
For example, say you set a goal to increase your social media followers by 20% over your next quarter; this would provide a clear target to work towards. When you know your goals, you can create a focused strategy and measure its effectiveness as you go.
Social media marketing for personal training businesses
Social media is an exceptional platform for reaching new clients, and the best thing about it is that it’s mostly free!
Facebook and Instagram are particularly useful for personal trainers because they’re visual and interactive. They allow you to showcase your expertise, share client success stories, and give a behind-the-scenes look at your training methods easily.
- Creating great social media content
Engagement with your target audience is crucial to success with social media. Create content that resonates with your tribe, whether it's simple workout tips, nutritional advice, or motivational stories. Utilise different media formats, such as images, videos, and stories, to keep your content fresh and engaging. Remember, content that adds value is more likely to be shared, expanding your reach organically.
- Building relationships on social media
We’ve just discussed the importance of creating content that resonates with the right people. However, once you’ve engaged your ideal audience, it’s equally important to continue building a community that identifies with your personal training brand. Respond to comments, message when appropriate, and interact with other accounts to gain more visibility.
- Getting found on social media by ideal clients
If you want to ensure that your content reaches your target audience, use relevant hashtags, incorporate carefully researched keywords in your posts and bio, and always tag your location. These simple tactics will improve your reach on these platforms, making it easier for potential clients to find you.
Free fitness content marketing strategies
Social media is a quick and easy way to reach your audience, but it’s just one element of a successful content marketing strategy. Does the term ‘content marketing strategy’ sound scary? Don’t worry. Essentially, it just means that you’re finding lots of different ways to reach people online.
And the best part? It’s mostly free, simply requiring your time and some creativity.
If you’re stuck for ideas, check out They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan. This easy-to-read (or listen-to) book shows that all great marketing boils down to one important principle: answering your potential clients’ burning questions. If you do this well, you’ll establish yourself as an expert in your field, and be easily found through search engines such as Google.
Here are some easy ways to answer your customer’s questions:
- Start a blog and share useful content
A blog is a great way to share knowledge and expertise. Cover topics that address common questions or concerns. Take some time to make sure you understand SEO best practices so that your content ranks well online. Include commonly searched keywords and phrases plus descriptive metatags for your article, and always add image alt text to images you publish.
- Create an email newsletter
Email marketing will help you build and maintain a list of subscribers. These are people who have already expressed interest in your business, so keep talking to them so you can successfully guide them towards becoming paying customers.
Use lead magnets, like the ones we’ve discussed in our consistent lead generation strategies, and always look to grow your existing list by sharing exclusive content, updates, and promotions that will keep your audience engaged.
- Share video content on YouTube
Video content is incredibly engaging – especially in the fitness industry, where you can clearly share what you do, how you do it, and the impressive visual results you get. Taking your time to create engaging videos will significantly boost your online presence and build the credibility of your personal brand.
Short and long-form videos can both be shared across multiple platforms, but don’t forget to optimise your videos with relevant keywords in the title and a description that improves their visibility on YouTube and search engines.
Network and collaborate with other businesses
Networking is another powerful marketing tool for promoting your personal training business. Connections with other businesses in the health and fitness sector lead to potential referrals and new clients.
We’re talking about companies in complementary areas such as nutrition, physiotherapy or wellness. When you build relationships like these, you’re opening the door to new referrals and establishing yourself within a supportive community.
However, networking isn't just confined to your physical location and in-person meetings. Online forums, social media groups, and virtual conferences are all great places to make new contacts and share insights. Participating in spaces like this will elevate your profile, attract potential clients, and provide valuable learning opportunities with peers.
To maximise opportunities from networking, remember:
- Be genuine: Approach people with authenticity, aiming to build real relationships rather than just seeking immediate gains. A sincere interest in what they do will foster long-term loyalty and referrals.
- Offer value: Whenever possible, offer your expertise and assistance. By helping others, you're demonstrating your value within the community, which will encourage other people to recommend your services.
- Stay engaged: Keep in touch with contacts regularly, share interesting content, or congratulate them on their achievements. Keep in touch so they will keep you in mind when opportunities arise.
- Seek collaborative projects: Look for ways to collaborate on events, workshops, or content. Projects like these will expose you to new audiences and highlight your services – and those of your partners.
- Embrace diversity: Cultivate a network across industries and professions. Diversity will lead to exciting collaborations and expose you to marketing strategies and audiences you might not have considered.
Offer free trials for your fitness services or programmes
Offering free trials or sessions is an effective way to attract new clients. Giving them a taste of your services without commitment may seem like a gamble, but if you use these trials to highlight your unique approach and personality, it’s a great opportunity for you to stand out from your competitors.
Remember to follow up with participants, so they feel valued and are encouraged to join your fitness community. This caring approach will show the quality of your service and build the foundations for relationships with potential clients – increasing the chance that they will become your regular clients.
Tailored fitness marketing strategies for you with Strong Collective
At Strong Collective Mentoring, we know that every personal training business is unique. That's why we're dedicated to working with you to create a marketing strategy that aligns with your goals and resonates with your ideal clients.
If you’d like us to help and support you to grow, contact us so we can help you create a marketing plan that will help you smash your personal and financial goals.
Free Personalised Report Reveals:
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